PITTSBORO — Sam White of Pittsboro was arrested last Thursday for a misdemeanor probation violation and six counts of felony possession of a firearm by a felon.
White was on probation for a conviction earlier this year for assault on a female.
The probation violation stemmed from citations issued to White on Oct. 22 when he was stopped by police for driving a backhoe down Sanford Road during the ongoing protests regarding the Confederate monument that rests on the grounds of the Historic Chatham County courthouse.
White was also the first resident to allow the Virginia Flaggers, a pro-confederacy group, to erect a confederate flag on his property in Pittsboro.
White was cited for operating a vehicle without being registered, without inspection and without insurance. That citation triggered an investigation by Community Corrections, the probation arm of the N.C. Dept. of Public Safety. White was charged with a probation violation on Oct. 29. White’s home was subsequently searched the next day and six firearms were recovered.
The arrest warrants indicates that deputies located a three handguns, two revolvers and a rifle at the residence.
White had been previously convicted of possession of a firearm by a felon in 2009, which was punishable by up to 47 months in jail. At the time, White was sentenced to 12-15 months “confinement,” 36 months supervised probation and 90 days electronic house monitoring, according to the arrest warrant. However, records from the N.C. Dept. of Public Safety note that his sentence was "suspended."
White was booked into the Chatham County Detention Center on Oct. 30 and was subsequently released on $25,000 secured bond for the weapons violation and a $5,000 cash bond for the violation of probation.